The Makings of a hearo Part 2
by Highland-Spring
Summary: Continuation of my story beforehand-Pippin is a Hero, but does not realise it.


The Makings Of A Hero, Part 2.  
  
Two long days had passed and Frodo had still not woken. Pippin had caught a rather frustrating sniffle, and could be heard sighing loudly every now and then as he battled to clear his throat and wipe his nose after a consistent belt of sneezing. Merry had suffered a sore throat and part-cold part- headache but wasn't feeling too bad any longer. It was Frodo, which everyone was concerned over.  
  
"What if he never wakes up?" Pippin whispered, nervously. Merry shook his head.  
  
"Don't say that-he'll wake up." He replied.  
  
They watched through the crack in the door as the healer did what he could as Paladin and Bilbo watched over.  
  
"I'm sure he'll be fine anyway," Pippin suddenly corrected himself.  
  
"What?" Merry asked, confused by Pippin's contradiction.  
  
"Well he's Frodo, isn't he? He's got to wake up because he's the best. If he doesn't wake up, they'll be a lot of upset Hobbits, and Frodo wouldn't do that-he wouldn't have them all upset." Pippin concluded.  
  
Merry smiled feeling somewhat humbled by his cousin's thoughts. Another belt of coughs hit Pippin and he coiled over in agony as he coughed so violently.  
  
"Pippin? Pip! Here, Pippin." Merry was next to him in an instant, rubbing his back and helping him through.  
  
Pippin stopped, caught his breath and nodded as he gulped in the air. Merry held him firmly until he was certain the Took was all right and released his grasp gently.  
  
"I-I'm al-alright." Pippin heaved. Merry wasn't too sure, but realising their cover had been ambushed, he took hold of Pippin and pulled him off down the hall.  
  
They hurried off out of sight and away from Frodo's room. Paladin wrapped his arm around Bilbo, as it did not look good. Frodo was fading.  
  
***  
  
Day fazed to night and the air cooled. The storms were over but the evening was not yet brisk. Pippin and Merry had gone outside after their spying earlier and were making their way back to Bag End. Pippin sniffled again and Merry turned to him.  
  
"Pippin, stop-you're really not very well at all, are you?" Merry stated rather than asked.  
  
Pippin wiped his nose with a sleeve and shook his head. He sighed loudly and blinked a few times.  
  
"I've felt better, Merry, but I'll be alright." He replied.  
  
Merry did not seem too convinced. Neither did he feel the Pippin should be walking around outside with such a bad cough.  
  
"When we get back, you're going straight to bed." Merry told him.  
  
Pippin stopped and frowned. He pouted a little and shook his head. "I can't- I've got to look after Frodo. I said I would, Merry, I promised."  
  
Merry held his ground. Pippin sighed and shook his head again. He began walking slowly next to his cousin and he coughed a little again.  
  
"Do you know what a promise, is Merry?" Pippin asked in a tiny voice.  
  
Merry frowned and nodded.  
  
"Course I do. You tell someone you'll do something and you do it regardless. Silly Hobbit, of course I know what a-" Merry stopped and sighed.  
  
He smiled at Pippin and shook his head slightly. Pippin looked up to him and waited for an answer.  
  
"Oh, alright, you win. You can look after Frodo, but only because you promised-and only if you promise me that you'll got to bed straight after." Merry replied.  
  
Pippin nodded and smiled.  
  
***  
  
Pippin had been sat with Frodo for almost an hour and nothing had changed. Frodo still looked pale and sick, his low breathing making a familiar rasping noise against his chest and the strain of fever upon his face.  
  
"Come on, Frodo. You promised to take me camping this year. If you don't, I won't ever talk to you again." Pippin threatened.  
  
He then realised that there could be a chance that he may never speak to his cousin again anyway, and that thought scared him-very much, so he promptly burst into tears.  
  
"Oh no, Frodo, no I didn't mean that-honestly I didn't. I wouldn't ever not talk to you, but please Frodo, I want you to talk to me so please wake up so we can talk and you can tell me stories like Bilbo. Please Frodo, if you, if you were to, I mean, you can't-not yet-you're just not the right age to, well, you know, to die."  
  
Pippin's voiced quivered and hot tears ran down his cheeks. He held onto Frodo's hand tightly-too scared to let go, too frightened in case he could never hold it again.  
  
"Frodo," Pippin whispered.  
  
There was no response.  
  
"Frodo," Pippin continued. "You can't die because I said so. I'm going to be a Thain one day, and you have to see that day because if you don't then I don't want to be a Thain anymore."  
  
Pippin swallowed hard and closed his eyes.  
  
A sudden twitch made Pippin look up sharply and he felt Frodo's hand twitch again. Pippin's heart beat faster and faster in his chest until Pippin could hardly breath. Frodo's lifeless fingers began to gain strength and grip onto Pippin's hand-not tightly but enough to scare the Took half to death and send him screaming to Paladin, Bilbo Merry and anyone else who may have been in earshot. All worried and wondering what on earth was going on, there was not hesitation as to their arrival. Pippin jumped away from Frodo and darted behind Merry.  
  
"He wasn't moving so I was talking to him and I told him that he wasn't allowed to die because otherwise I wouldn't be a Thain and he moved-he grabbed my hand and twitched. Merry, Frodo twitched!" Pippin's voice was fast and shrill.  
  
Bilbo was at Frodo's side and Paladin called the Healer back. Merry tried to calm his cousin down into reassuring him that Frodo was alright-and that the twitching had been a good sign. Pippin breathed faster and faster until his own breathing became raspy and he wound out in another violent coughing fit. After that was over, Merry pulled Pippin to him and sighed.  
  
"Please, calm down, Pippin. It's all right. Frodo is responding to us-he's getting better. You didn't do anything wrong, Pippin, you didn't do anything bad, but I expect you got quite a fright. Now, stop it, calm down before you go and really damage yourself." Merry soothed.  
  
Pippin's breathing returned to normal, his heartbeat dropped to its normal level and he pulled gently out of Merry's clasp.  
  
"Sorry." came the tiny reply.  
  
Merry sighed at Pippin. That's all his somewhat hapless cousin seemed to say. Merry shook his head and knelt down so he was more at an advantage height to Pippin.  
  
"Don't be. You've no need to be-none at all. You're a Hero, Pip, a real life Hero like in Bilbo's tales. You saved Frodo and now he's getting better because you were speaking to him. Now, I know that Frodo would be upset if he could hear you coughing like that. The last thing he would want was for you to be sick. Why don't you go and get some rest and I'll come and get you if anything else happens with Frodo." Pippin shook his head.  
  
"I want you to stay with me. I don't want to be by myself." He said very, very softly.  
  
Merry couldn't quite understand what was wrong with him, but he went with Pippin anyway. His cousin was in need of comfort-the reasons may be unclear- but it was the least Merry could do.  
  
***  
  
When the morning rose, Pippin woke up early. Merry was asleep in the high- back chair and Pippin crept out as quietly as he could so as not to wake him. He hurried along to Frodo's room and was pleased to see Frodo sleeping very peacefully. No rasping, no pale complexion and even better, no Healers.  
  
"He's going to be just fine, now, Pippin-Lad." Bilbo said.  
  
Pippin jumped and spun round to face him.  
  
"Really? You mean really, really alright and not almost alright but properly alright?" Pippin asked.  
  
Bilbo nodded and put his arm around Pippin's shoulder.  
  
"Yes my boy, he's going to be really, really alright: properly alright. And that's all thanks to you and your foolishness of running around in the rain. Sometimes, I don't know what possess you to do such things, but when there's a life in danger, you don't even hesitate to help. One day, Pippin, you'd make a great Warrior." Bilbo sat down on the floor next to Pippin.  
  
"Like one of those big strong warriors- like the ones like in your stories?" Pippin asked.  
  
Bilbo nodded and smiled. Pippin swelled with pride and beamed at The Baggins in such satisfaction and happiness that Bilbo thought he could be fit to burst.  
  
"But even Warriors need to rest and regain their strength. Even the strongest of the strong-and the bravest of the brave need time to get better." Bilbo said with slight suggestion.  
  
Pippin was already up and making his way to the door.  
  
"I know, I have to get better before I can go out slaying Dragons-but I will! I'll slay Dragons and I'll win riches and I'll meet Elves and Dwarves and Goblins and save Princesses and meet Kings and Queens and other wonderful creatures on my journey."  
  
A small smile came to Frodo's lips as Pippin's voice drifted off down the hall. Bilbo would be back soon, he knew, but Pippin had to rest. One day, Pippin maybe would do all those things, but not until he was better. He was on his way to bed now: on his way to getting better. That was a relief, Frodo thought.  
  
But Pippin didn't really have any need to do all those things. To Frodo, Pippin already was a Hero, and, as Frodo drifted back to his now settled mind, he somehow knew that Pippin always would be.  
  
END. 


End file.
